A Phantom is a Pump paintball marker manufactured by Mike Casady of CCI. He personally builds and tests each marker before it leaves him to come into your grubby little hands. They are a little spendy, but you easily get what you pay for and then some.

www.whitewolfairsmithing.com this is the place to go for great prices. He has the lowest prices around on Phantoms and Phantom parts. It will take a while for you to receive your gun from WWA, but you pay less.

www.wevopaintball.com is another great place to order from. He has great prices and has great service (my personal favorite to order from)

www.bunkerboyz.com also has very good prices. Run by fellow pumpers, so they know what your talking about.

www.doropaintball.com Has great prices on Direct feed Phantoms, but the price on stock class Phantoms are kind of high.

www.canadianpaintball.com A must know for all the Canadians. This makes it cheaper and faster because you don't have to worry about things going across the border.

3. What are some upgrades I should get for my Phantom?

The Phantom is an amazing gun right out of the box. Nothing is really needed for the beauty except some air and some paint. But there are a few things that might not be a bad idea.

- A set of Phantom Detent Rings. These will prevent paintballs from rolling out the end of the barrel. Because the Phantom has no built in detent like some guns, these are important to have.

- A Trigger shoe. The trigger shoe slips onto the trigger and is tightened down. The trigger shoe increases the surface area of the trigger making it more comfortable and makes the trigger pull feel lighter.

- A new barrel. Although the Stock Phantom barrel is an amazing barrel, there are a few that can upstage it.
A WWA Frantom 2 is a phantom barrel that utilizes the Freak Insert system. They can be found at http://www.whitewolfairsmithing.com/barrels.htm

Another good barrel is the J&J Edge Kit. Although sometimes hard to find, they are great barrel kits that work great on Phantoms. They can be found at http://www.bunkerboyz.com/jandj.htm

Lapco also makes their whole lind of barrels for the Phantom. They include the Lapco Autospirit, Lapco Bigshot, and Lapco Microshot, found here http://www.wevopaintball.com/
CCI also makes aftermarket barrels for the Phantom. Found at www.phantomonline.com

Hammerhead barrel kits are now made for the Phantom. Although their effectivness has been debated over the years, many people swear that it will increase the performance of your gun.http://www.hammerheadpaintball.com

- A stock also isn't a bad idea. They allow you to steady your shots easier and make shooting more comfortable.

The Break in Period of your Phantom is when your first receive it and the pump stroke is not as smooth as it should be. After about 600-1000 shots (varies in the guns) the Phantoms pump stroke will be silky smooth, and only get better and you play with it more.

8 What is a Stock Class harness, and where can I find one?

A stock class harness is a harness that is designed to hold the 12gram co2 cartridges and the 10rd tubes. There are a few different companies that manufacture them.http://www.docsmachine.com/gear/scgear.html makes the capless harness.

It should tell you in your manual, but since Im such a nice guy, Ill tell you. The Phantom comes with a long rod with a black adapter on the end http://www.whitewolfairsmithing.com/...y-adjuster.jpg simply put this down your barrel onto the end of your bolt, turn left to lower velocity and right to raise the velocity. There is also a small, white screw on the bolt, that is the set screw. You have to disassemble the marker to access it, but not like that's a huge task. Screw that in lightly to set the velocity, and screw it out if you need to adjust again.

10. Can I change my marker from stock class to direct feed?

Absolutely. All you have to do is purchase a Direct feed body (or stock class body if your going the other way) take the internals and trigger frame from one breech and move them to the other. Quite simple really.

11. What is a check valve?

A check valve is a valve that replaces your old, or you modify your original valve to hold extra co2 after you have removed the 12gram from the gun. Some Phantoms, such as the ones from WWA, come standard with a check valve.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...rden/check.gif

The following three setups use a regular size co2 tank
In your average back bottle setup Here The co2 bottle will screw onto the back of the marker just behind the valve.

On a bottomline setup Here the co2 placement is pretty obvious, it will screw into the bottomline on the bottom of the grip frame like most other markers.

On a vertical air Phantom Here the co2 placement is also pretty obvious, it will screw in vertically into the ASA.

The following setups use 12gram co2 powerletts
On a Stock Class (SC) Phantom Here, the 12gram will be placed in the bucket, the extension off the back of the marker, and then screwed into the marker so that it comes into contact with the Puncture pin, thus releasing the co2.

On a Vertical Stock Class (VSC) Phantom Here The co2 is screwed into the bucket that is vertical in front of the trigger frame, and then screwed into the marker so that it comes into contact with the Puncture pin, thus releasing the co2.

15. How do I maintain my Phantom?

The Phantom is very easy to take care of. After each day of play, take out the internals, wipe them off with a dry rag, and put them back in. Then, before you start playing, put 3-4 drops of regular paintball marker oil (Gold cup, Core slick, PMI, etc.) and put then on the pucture pin or asa, and then attach the air source. Take off the marker barrel and fire the marker several times to cycle the oil throughout the internals, and replace the barrel. Your now ready for a good day of play

Cannot use a bulk tank when running a 15 round stock class feed (the feedtube will sit too low to screw in a bulk C/A tank)

Dropout Changer:

Pros:

Most efficient valve with 12 grams

Cons:

Cannot use bulk tanks with this valve - you must purchase another valve

Bottomline:

Pros:

When used with a larger bottle, the bottle can be used as a stock

Can be run hawaiian style (bottomline screwed in backwards) - some prefer the balance of using a hawaiian style setup.

Cons:

Cannot use a stock, unless a gas-through stock is bought.

Less efficient with 12 grams compared to the VSC, Backbottle and Dropout changer

Vertical air:

Pros:

Many people prefer the balance of vertical air, especially when using a bulk air tank

Most efficient setup on 12 gram that does not feed the 12 gram directly into the valve (as with backbottle and dropout valves)

VERY consistent with CO2 tanks (3.5s and 4 ozs, especially)

Cons:

Less efficient with 12 grams than backbottle and dropouts

Should not run a tank larger than 3.5 oz, or you may risk bending the trigger frame if you run into something.

What bore size is the phantom?

.691

What kind of threads to Phantoms take?

Phantoms use their own threads: phantom threads. As such, you need to buy phantom-specific barrels, or get barrels rethreaded. If you get barrels rethreaded, you need to make sure that the pump handle will go around the barrel properly, or that you have undercocking.

What is stock class Phantom?

A pure stock class marker has a horizontal stick feed and runs on 12 gram powerlets.

This is personal preference. I personally prefer the 15 round tube because I do not need to reload as often, and when I do reload, I am not left with paintballs in my 10 round tubes.

What is the best barrel for the phantom?

The stock barrel is probably the best single barrel that money can buy (unless you are looking for a quieter barrel...and trust me, the stock barrel is already very quiet). However, because of the large bore size of the phantom, you will get rollouts if your paint is too small for the barrel. For this reason, many people buy a smaller bore barrel (usually the Lapco Microshots). Scroll down to see a complete list of barrels available for the phantom.

What are essential upgrades when buying a phantom?

This, again is preferential. However, I need to say this: THE PHANTOM IS ALREADY TUNED TO SHOOT EXTREMELY WELL OUT OF THE BOX!. Partswise, when you buy your phantom, I (as many others would agree) would tell you to buy detent rings (to prevent rollouts for paint that is too small), as well as a trigger shoe (which increases the surface area of the trigger that your finger rests on, giving the feeling of a smoother and lighter trigger pull).

Another optional upgrade (that is done as aftermarket, custom work) that many pure stock class (only using 12 gram CO2 powerlets) players prefer is to bob your valve, which means you cut down the length of your valve. This reduces the volume of "dead space" that the gas in the 12 gram has to fill in order to completely fill the valve, which increases the number of shots that you can get out of a 12 gram.

Some people also buy undercocking. This puts the pump handle underneath the barrel instead of around it. The advantages are that it smooths up the pump stroke, and for some people, puts the pump in a more natural position for their hand.

Should I use nitro on my phantom?

In my opinion, this is completely unnecessary. Nitro tanks add too much weight to the marker, which ruins one of the main advantages of having a pump marker in the first place. An anti-siphoned bulk tank on the bottomline, or a 3.5 or 4 oz on the vertical ASA, along with a good paint-barrel match and a broken in phantom will yield consistencies of +\- 2-5 FPS. Many pump players prefer using 3.5 oz and 4 oz CO2 tanks with their markers.

However, there are more and more players using the 13 CI nitro tanks, which give the consistency of nitro in a smaller and lighter package. They can be bought at http://www.whitewolfairsmithing.com/ found under the parts section.

How many shots can I get off my phantom?

On a 3.5 and 4 oz tank, anywhere from 200-350 shots (depending on how well your field fills your tanks - these small tanks are extremely hard to fill, and very few people can fill them properly, so you will not usually get a full shot count)

A 13 ci tank will also yield around the same number of shots.

On a VSC phantom, you should be able to get around 25-35 shots, although most people change around 20 shots to ensure that their velocity does not drop off. On a backbottle phantom / dropout phantom, you can get around 40 shots or even more.

These numbers may vary depending on how well tuned your phantom is (springing, bobbing the valve, temperature, rate of fire), but these are numbers on the phantoms that come STOCK from CCI. Be aware that especially with 12 grams, that firing rapidly will chill the tank / powerlet, reducing the number of shots you get from it, and your velocity will also drop off until the powerlet / tank warms back up.

How do I use my detent rings?

Read the instruction manual, dangit!

Anyways, what you want to do is take around 5 paintballs, and try to size them with the detent rings (we use 5 to find the "average" size of the balls). A proper fitting detent will have the middle of the ball resting inside the ring detent, and it will take a bit of force to push the ball through the ring.

Once you have found the right size ring, you want to drop the ring (MAKE SURE IT IS LEVEL OR YOU WILL WRECK YOUR BARREL) as far into the breech as possible - it should sit past the threads. Screw on your barrel normally - the barrel should screw on as if there was no detent in the marker. If you encounter resistance, STOP IMMEDIATELY, unscrew your barrel, and check if you seated the detent properly.

Removing the detents, you can either use dental picks, or what I do is stick my finger into the breech, and then get the ring 'stuck around my finger' and pull my finger out of the breech, along with the barrel?

What aftermarket barrels are available for the Phantom?

Lapco: Microshot, Autospirit and Bigshot (many people buy the microshot or autospirit, because they shoot small bore paint very often; not many buy the bigshot because its bore size is very close to the stock phantom barrel's)

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quote:
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Originally posted by The Kampfer
A pump gun is like the beautiful girl at school ; A semi is like that slut at the party, you like to "use'' her but don't want to end up with her...
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Originally posted by JimboDrofxo One of yall need to tell how to make your phantom more effiect.

There isnt really much you can do. When you get the Phantom stock, it is a very efficient gun. I can get upwards of 50 shots off of one 12gram, with fps set at about 250 with a stock class Phantom (back bottle set up)

But there are a couple things that you could do. A good paint to barrel match with increase your shot count a little. Also, a bobbed valve will get you a few more shots. Also, getting a spring kit with the right combo can get a few more shots, although many people still use the stock springs even after they get the spring kit. But one thing that will increase your efficiency alot would be a Drop Out valve. I have heard of people getting 80 shots off of one 12gram with a dropout Valve. I know that I am going to buy one...once I have money again.

Originally posted by nahthan You'll have to buy them seperate, or buy a barrel kit if you don't want small paint rolling down the barrel.

Yes, but barrel kits are rather expensive, and there are only 3 differents made. There is the J&J Edge Kit, The Lapco barrels(Microshot, Bigshot, and Autoshot) and the Frantom II. Out of those, I would go with the J&J. But Detents would be more cost effective.

Sorry to bug you guys wit questions, but I was also wondering, does the T-Stock make that much of a difference? I was trying to think of what it would be like without one, since I'm used to haveing a tank to rest my shoulder on.

I see a lot of Phantoms without stocks, so I can't really tell if they really help that much.

Stock on a micro? I thought the WHOLE point of having a micro is its pistol-like-ness and that the can get tighter and stuff like that...

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quote:
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Originally posted by The Kampfer
A pump gun is like the beautiful girl at school ; A semi is like that slut at the party, you like to "use'' her but don't want to end up with her...
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